


Head Full of Nothing and I’m Wondering Why

by allmilhouse



Category: Winter Kept Us Warm (1965)
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Pre-Slash, Sauna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24834736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmilhouse/pseuds/allmilhouse
Summary: When Peter’s out of his depths, Doug’s smitten. When Peter takes the lead, Doug feels something stronger
Relationships: Doug/Peter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Head Full of Nothing and I’m Wondering Why

“I know a place,” Peter had said, and that was all it took. 

It had started gradually, with a chance meeting at the dorm turning into an invitation, then dinner and a show. And now, hours later, Doug leading him around the splendour of downtown Toronto. After his usual first date power move of showing off at the arcade, he didn’t know what the next step should be. But then Peter spoke up, his eyes shining in the reflected neon, and Doug gallantly let his friend take the lead. 

He’d heard about bathhouses of course. In passing, from some of the older men he knew back at the steel mill in Hamilton. But despite being in the city for years now, he’d never been brave enough to seek one out. 

Doug paid, quieting Peter’s protests with his most gracious smile. “I invited you out,” he reminded the freshman. Besides, he knew how little Peter made waiting on tables in the dining hall, and it’s not like his care packages from home included any spending money. 

They didn’t talk after that, changing and showering in complete silence, before heading into one of the saunas. 

“Brace yourself,” Peter said, hand pausing on the large doorknob. “It’s hotter than you’d expect.”

The heat enveloped him immediately, but he followed Peter, who didn’t seem effected by it at all. “You’re some kind of expert, eh?” he asked as they settled on the warm wooden benches, slipping past the only other occupant of the sauna. Doug took the closest spot, and Peter climbed up to the top corner. His legs rested close to Doug’s arm, and if they weren’t currently in the bowels of hell, he’d try to lean in to that comforting warmth. 

“What do you mean?” Peter looked down at him in confusion, and he felt a curious delight at being looked at in such a way. 

“Well, you looked a little out of your element earlier, at the bar. But here you’re-“ he gestured around, his usual gift for gab failing him. 

He knew his way around a first date by now. He knew what he liked, and what girls expected of him, but this, but _Peter_ , left him unsure. By this point in a date, he’d have tried to kiss the girl. Maybe take her some place secluded and fool around in the car. But this wasn’t a usual first date. Hell, could it even be called a date? 

Lost in thought, Doug never finished his question, but Peter just smiled in response. He poured hot water on some rocks in the corner, generating more steam. Doug protested, leaning back on the old failsafe of talking about the weather, and they chatted for a bit about this and that. The other man left, and they relaxed a little more. 

Peter looked good like this, Doug thought, and not just because he’s naked. There’s a quiet dignity to him, the set of his shoulders more confident, his posture slightly straighter. A bead of sweat rolls down Peter’s face, dripping down his neck, and Doug follows it hungrily. He thinks about licking it, the salt contrasting against Peter’s soft skin, and he grips the hot sauna bench until his hands burn. 

Completely oblivious to Doug’s torment, Peter leaned back, resting on his elbows. He hummed softly, and Doug recognised it as one of the Finnish folk tunes they’d played earlier in his dorm room. It sounded good earlier but better now, the soft notes reverberating around the small wood-panelled room. 

He wondered if Peter listened to him, when he warned him about his reputation. He wondered if it was worth risking it all now, to reach for Peter’s hand.

**Author's Note:**

> love that the sauna scene is like the third gayest part of the movie. Title from Turn to Hate by Orville Peck


End file.
